Details

Date Published

Dec. 31, 2015

Date Built

Dec. 30, 2015

CPU Clock Rate

3 GHz

GPU Core Clock Rate

1.14 GHz

GPU Effective Memory Clock Rate

7.01 GHz

Description

If you haven't already noticed, the theme of this build was inspired by the Joker in The Dark Knight. This is my primary PC that I use for gaming and productivity purposes. My ultimate goal was to keep noise to a minimum while still maintaining adequate cooling performance. Ultimately, I was able to achieve this goal but it ended up costing me more than what I initially intended. lol

Background for this build: This build started a bit after the X99 CPU's came out when I decided to upgrade my X79 setup to an Intel i7-5960X. One thing led to another and my CPU, motherboard and RAM "upgrade" snowballed into an entirely new build with new graphics cards, storage devices, etc. When everything was said and done I ended up spending more than I intended and went beyond my initial intended upgrade path.

My goal for this build is to have a silent gaming/productivity PC without having to resort to custom watercooling. I've custom watercooled numerous builds in the past and I found that a custom setup was a pain to maintain and a hassle when upgrading or replacing parts. As a result, I decided to install AIO's on my CPU and GPU's so I could benefit from the benefits of watercooling without having to deal with a custom setup. This PC can play most games at 2560x1600 at 60+ FPS with all settings on max. I am very happy about how this build turned out even though it put a significant dent in my wallet. I'd love to hear your feedback and will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Build Commentary:

CPU - Intel i7-5960X: I initially wanted to get the i7-5930K CPU but it wasn't much of an upgrade from my previous X79 i7-4960X setup. After seeing the reviews for the 5960X I was sold! This was the first domino to fall in making me go all out with this build. lol

Motherboard - Asus Sabertooth X99: After using the Thermal Radar feature on the Asus Sabertooth motherboard on my X97 setup, I knew wanted a motherboard that had the same feature for the X99 build, especially if I wanted a silent setup. When Asus released the Sabertooth X99 motherboard I knew I have to have it. With the Thermal Radar feature, I am able to set the exhaust fan curves (the two fans mounted to my GPU radiators) and intake fan curves based on the how warm the PC gets. I have full control on how quiet the fans spin during low usage and how fast they spin when the computer gets toasty.

Memory - Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4-2400 32gb: The Corsair Dominators are beautiful and classy looking memory that fit my theme. I love the brushed aluminum and subtle LED glow. I also installed the light bar upgrade kit so it nicely accents the motherboard.

GPU - EVGA GeForce 980 Ti Hybrid SLI: I went with the EVGA Geforce 980 Ti Hybrid in SLI because I wanted my graphics cards to be quiet and cool under load. When EVGA released the 980 Ti Hybrid with a built-in AIO, I had to get a pair of these cards. The cards run are quiet when under load as the AIO does a very efficient job at dissipating the heat generated by the GPU. Also the built-in AIO radiator allows me to mount the radiators in an exhaust configuration so I won’t have to recirculate the heat back into the case. I also want to thank EVGA for giving out the revised GPU shroud for current Hybrid owners. The aluminum on the shroud compliments my build and is more visually pleasing than the original champagne shroud.

Storage - Samsung 950 Pro M.2 512gb, Samsung 850 Pro 1tb, OCZ Vertex 2 240gb, Western Digital Red 4tb: I decided to give the M.2 drive a try because my motherboard supported it. I didn’t notice too much of a difference over a standard SATA SSD in day-to-day use but the benchmarks show that it is pretty zippy.

Enclosure - Fractal Design Define S: Fractal Design must have read my mind when they designed the Define S. They took out the drive cages that I rarely used, they removed excess vents because they were unnecessary, the case offers ModuVents so I could customize the case based on my silence/cooling needs and the case supports three dust filtered 140mm intake slots for optimal cooling. Also, this is one of very few cases in the market that allows me to customize for positive case pressure to minimize dust accumulation, while providing superior noise isolation. To top it all off, the case is watercooling friendly. This case was a no-brainer for me.

Fans - Noctua IndustrialPPC NF-F12 PWM 120mm and Noctua NF-A14 PWM 140mm: I’ve been a fan of Linus Tech Tips for years and I’ve watched him preach the greatness of Noctua fans many times. I finally bought into his influence and got myself a few Noctua IndustrialPPC fans. I am now a fan (no pun intended) of these fans. These fans have great performance specs and are silent. Unlike the Corsair SP120/AF140’s fans I previously had, the fan motors don’t tick or vibrate at high speeds. Now that Noctua released the Chromax fan mounts, I can customize the Noctua fans to match my build.

Lighting/Cables: I am using two white LED strips from Darkside Computer Modding to illuminate the internal components. The custom sleeved cable extensions that gives this build some pop were made by Ensourced Custom Accessories. I these cables were made-to-order and their craftsmanship and is displayed in their work. Big thumbs up to Ensourced!

How are you liking the dual hybrids and the samsung 950 ssd? I'm about to add another hybrid and the ssd to my build as well! Beautiful build btw. Makes me want to make my nest build in the future just as clean.

I really like the dual Hybrids. They run very cool and can run very silent if you run the fan off the motherboard or a fan controller. The 950 Pro is one fast SSD. I don't really notice a difference in day-to-day use in comparison to an SATA SSD but benchmarks show that it is quite zippy. Thank you for the kind words!

I'm in the process of designing my own rig. I've ordered the Define S case and ssd's already. I'm trying to set on a mobo to go with the i5 6600K I've decided on (more than enough for a gaming rig).Depends on if I go full pump and reservoir route.

I plan to go 980ti SLI eventually (1 for now) , but cooling is my biggest concern. What's your temperature's like? I'm guessing from your pictures that the CPU rad fans are supply, as are the front/bottom fan and bottom mounted GPU rad/fan. Is the second GPU rad/fan exhaust? Are any of the top vents open?

Thank you for the kind words. You will not be disappointed in the Define S case. It is one of my favorite cases of all time because the features of the case are well thought out and the build quality is solid, especially for a sub-$100 case. What case are you planning to go with your 6600K?

In my current configuration, I have my two GPU radiators as exhaust in the rear and bottom of the case. I have my CPU radiator (two 140mm fans) and one 120mm fan the only intake. All of the top vents are covered for noise isolation. Under load the graphics cards are hitting temps in the low 50's with the radiator fans spinning at 1300 rpms. I could probably high 40's if I maxed my fans out at 2000 rpm but that's a bit loud for my taste.

My first choice for a case was a Fractal Node 605. Matches my AVR a treat, but only 120 single rad would fit, and either the fan or rad would be bolted to the outside, totally spoiling the clean lines. I must have spent 4 days mulling over my case of choice, but once I read some reviews and saw some YouTube vids, I knew this case was the one. I read your review a few hours after I ordered it, I was delighted when I saw your rig. Great minds eh?

I decided against the window version for a few reasons:
1 My components won't match colour (I'm English if you hadn't already guessed) wise.
2 I want a silent as possible rig, one reason I chose this case.
3 This will sit under my tv and I don't want any distractions from the screen.
4 I plan to put a fan/rad on the side.

Thankfully your design for fan layout has given me great confidence for my cooling needs. If you see my parts list, I've ordered everything apart from the GPU. A mate of mine has a spare card as a temp measure, then I plan to buy a 980ti, then eventually go SLI, hence the 850W psu.

This is my first build. I only decided 3 weeks ago to build one after seeing my nephews rig. I've always been a console guy, until I saw the possibilities. I've had to learn quick, thanks to my nephews guidance and 3 weeks solid reading. Taking inspiration from the likes of yourself helped greatly.

Welcome to the PC master race. lol Good choice in your part selection of your build as well as the Define S. You will not be disappointed. I look forward to seeing your completed build. I am not too sure if the fan + radiator will fit on the left side panel as the depth of the combo might interfere with the GPU and/or placing the radiator so close to the video card might kink the hose. I am not 100% certain but it's something you will have to keep a lookout for during installation.

I confess the fan & rad on the side did cross my mind briefly, but I thought if that didn't fit, I've lots of other solutions available. What I meant to ask you the other day, are your GPU temps good with the rad/fan setup as exhaust? I mentioned this to my nephew and he thought it odd. I said you were happy with your temperature. I wanted to avoid using the top to vent, like yourself.

Last night I succumbed to temptation and ordered the MSI GPU. No point in putting an inferior card in such a build. Amazing what rational you can come up with when required.
The 2nd GPU will be bought once I decide on a 4K TV or monitor. I know I'm limited on 60fps on 4K tv's at the moment, so I'll put my research head back on and decide my next step. My trusty Panny plasma will have to suffice for now. I started off with a plan of casual gaming in front of the TV like my PS4, but things have escalated 3 fold from my initial budget. I think I'm mad until I see other setups on this site, then realise I'm barely scratching the surface.

I'm on a ship in Brazil at the moment, so will be another 2 weeks before I get home and open all my goodies. I'll take a load of pictures and put up my build dairy once it's all built.

I get some decent temps with my GPU radiators on exhaust. My hottest GPU runs at low 50's with the fans spinning at sub-1500 rpms. Ideally, I would like to feed the GPU radiators fresh air but I also didn't want to recirculate hot GPU air back into the case. 50's is a good compromise between noise and temps.

I see that you've been infected by the upgrade bug! lol Congrats on your new GPU. Which version of the 980 Ti did you purchase? I look forward to seeing your build experience. Let me know when it's up.

Thanks you! The speakers are great. They provide a rich and full sounds that cheaper speakers I've owned couldn't replicate. The bass is tight but depending on the listening material and taste, you may want a sub to compliment the speakers. I like the sound as is so I opted to go without a subwoofer. I really like the dual audio input capability so I could listen to material using my mobile devices.

Thank you! The fans on the GPU radiators are actually 120mm. 140mm fans won't fit unless you use a fan that have dual 120/140mm mounting holes. Unfortunately, the NF-A14 don't have a dual mounting patterns.

I considered going with a custom loop as I still have my hardware from my previous build and a Case Labs SM8. However, I decided against it because I didn't want to maintain a custom loop or the extra work required when upgrading. I do miss the superior cooling, silence and aesthetics of a custom loop.

I feel you on that! I hated doing loop maintenance and constantly have the feeling in the back of my mind that a seal might break and spring a leak. It's refreshing to know that I can set it and forget it with air and AIO cooling.

Are you referring to the PSU cables? If you are, I managed to hide them under the bottom GPU. It is hard to see them because the bottom strip of LED's illuminate just the components I want to highlight and keeps the black PSU cables in the shadow.

May I ask what is your occupation? The build is amazing compared to my i5 6600k and gtx 970 setup! Ur build is just one sexy beast! I also strongly agree with the water cooling setup! Custom loops are a pain in the A$$ so AIO's are a good choice! Thank you!

I'm a background investigator and a part-time grad student. I am sure this is not what you were expecting. lol Thank you for the compliment! A 6600K and GTX 970 is a strong gaming setup, so you have a powerful setup too! You should post up some pics of your beast.

LOL yeah that was not was I was expecting (I thought you may have been an engineer or something!) My build is a work in progress meaning that I will be upgrading when the newer enthusiast-grade CPU's come out. The reason I did not buy x99 in the holidays was because my brother got me a 6600k and an MSI Gaming motherboard so I decided to keep that! Thanks for the kind words!

Thank you. What's between my graphics card is my Asus Xonar Essence STX II sound card. The new shroud is much better looking than the old shroud. However, mounting holes don't align perfectly but its hard to tell in the pictures. Even in person it's hard to tell unless I point it out for you.

Wow, that's a monster OC you're getting with your GPU. What voltage are you at with that clock speed?

I went with the X99 because I wanted a socket that will not be outdated by the next product cycle. For X99 with LGA2011V3, the socket will be relevant in the next product cycle as the i7-6xxx and maybe even the i7-7xxx series processors will be LGA2011V3. If I went with Z107, there is no certainty that Z117 or Z127 will be LGA1151.